If you're in the market for a new ergonomic chair, you may not have contemplated buying a Sihoo, and that's because the Chinese company only started exporting its range of ergonomic office chairs in 2018. What with Covid, that means that the company has only really had a few years to make a name for itself outside of China, but with affordable, comfortable chairs like the Sihoo M90D chair, that's exactly what it's currently doing.
But why consider the Sihoo M90D chair? There are two main factors. Firstly the quality adaptive lumbar support, which provides support for your lower back; and secondly, the competitive price. The Sihoo M90D chair is actually more of the mid-range price point, with the SIHOO M18 and M57 costing around $100 less than the M90D. They don't have adaptive lumbar support, however. We received the Sihoo M90D chair some months ago, and have since used it as our main office chair, sitting on it for several hours at a time to get a good idea of exactly what the M90D does right, and what we'd rather it did better.
You can also dive deeper into the world of the best office chairs, or specifically the best office chair for back pain. And if you're feeling like really giving your back and posture a helping hand, we've also covered the best standing desks.
Sihoo M90D chair: assembly and price
This is my main gripe when it comes to the Sihoo M90D chair – construction was particularly fiddly and time-consuming. Of course, if you're looking at our guide to the best office chairs for back pain, you'll notice that some chairs come in three or four parts, are super-easy to build, and you can be sitting in them within minutes of receiving them. Well, all of that is reflected in the price tag, and as you can imagine with the Sihoo M90D's mid-range price, this is not the case here.
Coming in around ten parts, with plenty of different screws to use and pieces of heavy metal to hold aloft while screwing into place, I didn't enjoy putting the Sihoo M90D chair together at all. I did do it myself, however, as I imagine most buyers will. However, it took around twenty five minutes in all, and once it was put together it felt sturdy enough.
As far as price goes, if you head to the Sihoo website, you can buy the Sihoo M90D for $369.99. If you want to explore the more high-end Sihoo option, the V1 (executive chair) will set you back $830. If you consider that the cheaper chairs in the Sihoo range don't come with adjustable lumbar support, and are around $100 cheaper than the Sihoo M90D, we think the M90D is the ideal point where functionality and price meet.
Sihoo M90D chair: comfort and build
The Sihoo M90D chair is not the most comfortable office chair I've ever sat in, but it's certainly not the most uncomfortable either. There's a soft yet sturdy feel to all the taught mesh that's used in the Sihoo M90D chair's headrest, back plate and main seat. The rubber armrests are relatively soft and comfortable, and look like they will last the test of time.
The foundation of the Sihoo M90D chair is the brushed aluminium five leg base. It's weighty enough to give you a nice balanced grounding, especially when scooting around on its wheels. There are more comfortable seats out there, but you'll have to pay for their memory foam seating. Sihoo offers a decent, affordable alternative, and after around seven weeks of constant use, I never felt less than comfortable.
Sihoo M90D chair: design and features
Let's be frank – you're not going to be buying the Sihoo M90D chair based on its aesthetics. After all, most office chairs look alike, especially when they come in a mesh finish. What I did like about the Sihoo M90D chair's design, however, is the taught, adaptive lumbar support. Again, this is made out of hard plastic and mesh, but you're not exactly looking at that part of the chair while you're using it. What's important is if it does the job of supporting your back, and I can confirm that it does. There are also three options for positioning the back plate (which move up and down), which although may not be enough for many tall users, was absolutely fine for this 5 ft 10-inch writer.
However, apart from a few other options for movement in the armrests, there really aren't that many options for adjustments in the Sihoo M90D chair. I don't mind this, and actually find that many modern chairs offer too many options for adjustability. The only thing I didn't particularly like about the options for movement was that the armrests don't go down that low (something I always note as I like to have my arms low when gaming).
Sihoo M90D chair: verdict
OK, so the Sihoo M90D chair looks a lot like many other office chairs out there and won't win any awards for its adjustable options. So why the four stars out of five? The reasons are simple: it does a really good job of supporting your back and head, and is perfectly comfortable over several hours. Add to that the asking price of under $400, and you've got some really good reasons to think about getting one.
Gamers will want even more comfort and armrest options, no doubt, and if you've put time and money into your perfect work-from-home office, you'll probably want a more stylish chair that this. But if you're looking for an affordable and good quality chair that will do the job, the Sihoo M90D chair is well worth a look.
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